The historic terroir of the Côte-du-Rhône, before the appellation was extended to a vast number of wines, the Gard is the number one department for organic farming. With some of the pioneers who have changed the image of Gard wines - Jean-François Nicq when he was working at the Cave des Vignerons d'Estézargues, Éric Pfifferling (L'Anglore) -, natural wine has found a land of choice here. Nicolas Renaud, in his Clos des Grillons, has established himself as a major figure in the Southern Rhône with wines that are both free and sensual.
Leaving his job as a history teacher to train in viticulture and then becoming a winegrower in 2007, Nicolas Renaud set up an estate in Rochefort-du-Gard which today has 18 hectares of vines spread over the Côtes-du-Rhône and Côtes-du-Rhône-Villages-Signargues appellations. From the outset, his project is that of a culture without chemical products (bio/biodynamics) and of a natural vinification where the fruit of the grape and the character of the terroir are expressed, with a concern for freshness and balance. A project where the example of Eric Pfifferling's work has been decisive. The vineyard is classically made up of Rhodanian grape varieties: notably bourboulenc (an old vine dating back to 1901) and white and grey grenache for the whites, and above all black grenache, associated with cinsault, mourvèdre, carignan or syrah for the reds. The result is remarkable wines of purity and accuracy of expression.
Made from Grenache grapes from the plot known as Les Jas (the former name of the cuvée) - the first parcel acquired by the winemaker in 2006 - on clay-limestone soil in a landscape of garrigues; an emblematic cuvée.
